


Brighten My Day

by RaccoonBlues



Series: Sunshine [1]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:03:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4730381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaccoonBlues/pseuds/RaccoonBlues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Napoleon can't wait for a chance to flirt with his favorite customer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brighten My Day

**Author's Note:**

> I have finally found myself in a fandom were I could put my history degree to good use and instead I wrote a modern coffee shop/college au that no one asked for.

Napoleon was getting anxious.  His shift was almost over and his favorite customer still hadn’t come in.  The young Russian man had been coming in to the café every day for the last month.  Napoleon was smitten the second he laid eyes on the man.  As far as looks went the Russian ticked all of Napoleon’s favorite boxes, the most important being blonde and beautiful.  He also had an accent that made Napoleon weak in the knees, and the way his eyes lit up the first time he saw the pastry case was absolutely adorable.  Napoleon had it bad.  His day just wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t get to see the blonde man.  Napoleon sighed as he leaned against the counter.  He couldn’t keep his mind off of the Russian and he’d be stuck with only memories of him if he didn’t show up in the next hour.

Since he started showing up he had become Napoleon’s favorite thing about work.  Working at a café could be painfully boring when there wasn’t a meal rush.  Seeing the Russian could make even the dullest moments better.  He always ordered something new and had to have gone through most of the menu by now.  He wasn’t picky and always cleared his plate.  The only time he’s complained about the food was when he’d gotten a sandwich with ketchup and mustard on it.  Napoleon had found the other man’s pout irresistibly adorable and had spent twenty minutes chatting with him.  Napoleon had gotten in trouble with his manager, but it was totally worth it.  That was the day he’d found out that his favorite customer had a name just as nice as the rest of him.

He’d be miserable for the rest of the day if Illya didn’t show up.  Napoleon had a hard enough time focusing on his after shift classes when he was lost in thoughts about the way the light had looked as it streamed through Illya’s light blonde hair.  How on Earth was Napoleon supposed to focus when his head was full of nothing but worry about why Illya hadn’t shown up?  What if there had been an accident?  Maybe he was hurt, or maybe he had gone back to Russia where Napoleon would never see him again.  Napoleon wanted to pull at his hair.  He only stopped when he remembered how long he’d fussed over it that morning before leaving his apartment.  Did it really matter what his hair looked like though, if the object of his affection didn’t grace Napoleon’s dismal little work place with his presence?

Napoleon let his head drop onto the counter.  The resounding thud his forehead made against the counter seemed even louder in the relative quiet of the shop.  It was that time of day when the café was all but dead, just after lunch when everyone was returning to work or school.  There were a couple of regulars, sequestered in the quietest corners of the cafe with no interest in Napoleon’s predicament, no matter how hard he banged his head against the counter.  Napoleon sighed.  It was possible he was being a bit dramatic, it’s not as if the world would end simply because his Russian ball of sunshine didn’t show up today.  His life would just be shrouded in a dark cloud of despair.  Napoleon lifted his head and let it drop against the counter again.

“Rough day?” an all too familiar voice and accent said.  Napoleon shot up and straightened his apron.  He gave his best smile to his favorite customer.

“Illya!” Napoleon exclaimed.  “I thought you might not show up before my shift ended.”

“How tragic,” Illya replied.  Napoleon’s smile dropped into a pout.  He leaned over the counter trying to get closer to Illya.

“Are you trying to say you wouldn’t have missed seeing my beautiful face?”  Napoleon asked.  He added a slight smile and a flutter of his eyelashes. 

“Your face, not so much,” Illya answered.

“Oh,” Napoleon said.  His shoulders slumped and he leaned back to stand properly behind the counter.  Honestly, Napoleon wasn’t sure what he was expecting.  As much as he could feel himself falling hard for Illya, the man seemed as unmoved by Napoleon now as the first day he had walked into Napoleon’s life.  Napoleon took a deep breath and tried to shake off the disappointment.  At least he got to see Illya today.  That fact alone brightened his day, even if Illya didn’t feel the same.  Napoleon would just have to take his joys were he could get them.

“The smile I would miss,” Illya said.

“What?” Napoleon asked.  He wasn’t sure he’d heard that right.  Did Illya just say he’d miss his smile?  Illya loved his smile enough he’d miss it.  Illya actually felt something for Napoleon.  The sadness that had started to settle over Napoleon’s shoulders started to drift away at this news.

“I’d miss your smile more than the rest of your face,” Illya said giving a small smile of his own to Napoleon.  Napoleon shot him one of his brightest in return.

“Really now,” Napoleon said leaning back over the counter.

“Really,” Illya said matching Napoleon’s movement across the counter.  “In fact, it is why I am here today.”  That took Napoleon by surprise and he was sure it showed on his face judging by the smirk Illya was sporting.  “As much as I like the food,” Illya said, “it’s getting far too expensive for me to come in here all of the time.”

“But, you’ll miss my smile,” Napoleon said.  He could feel his heart breaking at the thought of Illya never coming in again.

“Exactly,” Illya said reaching into his pocket.  He pulled out a piece of paper and slid it across the counter towards Napoleon.  “So, today I bring you this and hope you will call me so that we may meet again.”  Napoleon took the offered slip of paper, smiling at the number it held in small neat handwriting.  He looked back up at Illya.  The other man seemed nervous all of a sudden with his eyes trained down on the counter.  He had no reason to be nervous, it’s not as if Napoleon had ever been subtle about how he felt about Illya.

“I would love to meet again,” Napoleon said.  Illya’s eyes shot up to meet his.  They were so bright and blue, Napoleon was sure he’d miss seeing them as much as Illya would miss seeing his smile.  “My day is always so much better after I see you,” he admitted.  “Imagine how much better my life will be if I get to see you whenever I want.”

“Then call me,” Illya said with a bright smile.

“As soon as possible,” Napoleon said as Illya left the café.  “As soon as possible.”

 


End file.
